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The forest continuum extends far beyond the forests typically considered by the urban and community forestry realm. From the tree-lined streets and parks in our downtowns to the private yards and forests of Maine’s rural communities, the Maine Forest Service has several programs to address your forest resource related needs. To learn more about MFS landowner assistance, water quality, forest health, forest fire control or other MFS programs, please contact the Maine Forest Service at 1-800-367-0223 (in-state) or visit www.maineforestservice.gov. For information about Project Canopy, please contact Becky Tavani, Project Canopy Director, at 207-287-4987 or becky.tavani@maine.gov
The relentless Patriot’s Day storm damaged and downed trees throughout the state, but primarily on Maine’s coast. If you have trees that need to be removed, be wary of individuals who go door to door and offer bargains for performing tree work. Most reputable companies are too busy to solicit work in this manner. Improper tree care can take many years to correct itself and, in some cases, can never be corrected. Arborists must be licensed in Maine, so ask to see their license beforehand. Check for membership in professional organizations such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the National Arborist Association (NAA), the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA), or the Maine Arborist Association (MAA). Such membership demonstrates a willingness on the part of the arborist to stay up to date on the latest techniques and information. For a list of state licensed professionals, visit: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/pi/arborist/index.htm or contact Project Canopy at 1-800-367-0223.
Congratulations to the 35 communities and organizations that were awarded a 2007 Project Canopy Grant! The review team selected 20 Planning and Education grants, 12 Tree Planting and Maintenance Grants and 3 Inner City Improvement grants totaling $171,541 in awards. Ten of the recipients are new communities and organizations. Forty-three communities and organizations attended the mandatory training sessions in February, adding the number of communities trained to over 118 statewide. Project ideas include expanding town nurseries, conducting street tree inventories, writing community forest management plans and creating an edible forest garden.
Maine is proud to have fourteen communities achieve Tree City USA status for 2006. Tree City USA is a program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation, and recognizes communities with outstanding community forestry programs. Maine’s Tree Cities are: Augusta, Bangor, Bath, Camden, Farmington, Hallowell, Kennebunkport, Orono, Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Yarmouth, Auburn and Lewiston. The cities of Augusta, Bath and Farmington have also received 2006 growth awards, for going above and beyond the Tree City USA standards. For information on the Tree City USA Program, or to learn how your community can become a Tree City USA, please call Project Canopy at 1-800-367-0223.
Maine first celebrated Arbor Week during the 3rd full week of May in 1978. Previously, Maine observed Arbor Day in late April, a time of year when much of the state experiences cold, winter weather. Thwarted by snow and frozen ground in their efforts to observe Arbor Day in April, a group of students and their teacher from Dover-Foxcroft asked Maine’s Legislature to establish Arbor Week in May. The Legislature, impressed by the arguments of the 6th graders, who came to Augusta as a class to speak for their bill, agreed to make the change. Arbor Week is a time to reflect upon the enormous resource we have here in Maine - our trees! They provide us with numerous environmental, economic, aesthetic, and social benefits. In celebration of Arbor Week, many activities and events will be held throughout the state during the third week in May.
This year, Project Canopy will host a statewide Arbor Day ceremony on May 21st from 1pm-3pm at the Augusta State Capitol, Hall of Flags, to demonstrate the economic and ecological benefits of urban and community forestry. Representative Ted Koffman (District 35), who chairs the Committee on Natural Resources, will be our guest speaker. Governor Baldacci also has been invited to the event and will present awards to our 14 Maine Tree Cities and to the 2007 Maine Arbor Day poster contest winner, Kelsea Wotton from the Friendship Village School. Pete Lammert, former utilization forester and current project forester, will be presented with the 2007 Community Forestry Excellence Award. There will also be tree seedling distribution during the ceremony, generously donated by Irving Woodlands LLC. Please show your support for urban and community forestry by attending this event. Contact Becky Tavani at 207-287-4987 or becky.tavani@maine.gov for further details.
Another Arbor Day event includes a presentation by author Tom Wessels, Reading the Forested Landscape, on May 21st hosted by the City of Bath, Maine Community Forest Board and sponsored by Project Canopy (see below for details).
By many measures, tree work is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. The tools and techniques used by arborists, such as climbing using ropes pose hazards wherever they are used. As arborists use their tools they are dealing with massive weights and irresistible momentum of falling, rolling, and sliding trees and logs. The hazards are even more acute when dangerous environmental conditions are factored in, such as uneven, unstable or rough terrain; inclement weather including rain, snow, lightning, winds and extreme cold.
The training is an Introduction to the basics of climbing safety and the latest in rigging, including the latest in safety standards from the Z133.1 American National Standards for Tree Care Operations.
There were so many interested in the April 18th workshop, that we decided to offer this a second time. The workshop will be held July 10th at the Bicentennial Nature Park on Rt. 3 in Augusta. This training is geared to provide you and your employees the knowledge and experience in order to prevent future injuries and fatalities. Both new employees and those needing a refresher are encouraged to attend. The training will be held indoors, with an emphasis on hands-on learning.
The hemlock woolly adelgid is an aphid-like insect that injures hemlock trees by feeding on stored carbohydrates in the young tissues of hemlock twigs. The Maine Forest Service uses many tactics in its approach to managing the hemlock woolly adelgid. The most promising tool for infested forests threatened by this invasive insect is biological control. On a cold April afternoon, 3000 predatory lady beetles (Sasajiscymnus tsugae) were released in hopes that their voracious appetite for hemlock woolly adelgid would help to slow that insect’s spread in Maine. Maine citizens and visitors can help slow the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid by not moving hemlock from infested parts of the State or from other infested areas. You can volunteer to survey for the presence of adelgid in a hemlock stand near you and report the results to the Maine Forest Service. Sign up for a survey of your hemlocks by contacting Allison at: allison.m.kanoti@maine.gov
The theme of the workshop, co-hosted by the USDA Forest Service and the Maine Forest Service, is protecting and enhancing watersheds from the edges of urban areas outward into the rural environment. The agenda will include presentations on a watershed forest management manual that is being developed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the University of Massachusetts. It will also include training on the Urban Watershed Forestry manuals recently published by the Center for Watershed Protection and funded by the USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. The workshop will take place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland, ME June 5-7. For more details, email jparry@fs.fed.us
The Environmental Protection Agency has released the Watershed Plan Builder, an interactive, Web-based tool to improve efforts by states and local communities in protecting and restoring local water resources. Learn more at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershedplanning/
4-5 Shigo Science The Science behind the Treatment, A Tribute to Alex L. Shigo, PhD. Las Vegas, NV. Contact the Western Chapter of the ISA at 714-639-3610 or repperson@wcisa.com FMI or to register.
5 Take a Stand for Hemlocks: Citizen Scientist Survey for Detection of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
A Maine Forest Service Workshop for Community Volunteers. York Public Library, York, ME. FMI or to register contact Allison Kanoti, MFS Insect and Disease Laboratory at 287-3147 or Allison.m.kanoti@maine.gov
5 Vernal Pool Workshop, Hosted by the Upper Kennebec Valley Chapter of the Small Woodlot Owner’s Association of Maine and the Maine Forest Service. Naturalist Warren Balgooyan’s Farm, Norridgewock, ME. Contact Patty Cormier at 474-3499 or patty.cormier@maine.gov FMI. All are welcome and attendance is free.
12 Vernal Pool Workshop, hosted by the Maine Forest Service, Southern Aroostook SWCD, Louisiana Pacific, Vital Pathways and Maine’s SFI. Houlton Community Golf Course, New Limerick, 7:30 AM Noon. To pre-register contact SASWCD at 532-9407 ext. 3. There is no cost to attend.
12 Women in the Woods chainsaw safety workshops. Women who want to learn to work safely with a chainsaw are encouraged to attend a series of chainsaw safety workshops scheduled for this spring. For more information or to sign up for workshop locations, contact Tish Carr at 1-800-611-5118 or Patty Cormier, Maine Forest Service at 207-474-3499.
17 New England Municipal Tree Academy. Come learn municipal techniques for budget support, media relations and public communications in this one-day workshop. Leominster, MA. Contact Marcia McPhee at mmcpheeisa@comcast.com or visit www.newenglandisa.org for more details.
20-26 Maine Arbor Week
21 State Arbor Week Celebration and Awards Ceremony. 1 PM. State House Hall of Flags. FMI contact Becky Tavani at 207.287.4987
21 Reading the Forested Landscape, A presentation by author Tom Wessels. Hosted by the City of Bath, Maine Community Forest Board and sponsored by Project Canopy. For more information contact the City of Bath Cemeteries and Parks department at 443-8345
21-22 Storms Over the Urban Forest National Conference. Atlanta, GA. Sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Complete agenda and registration available online at arborday.org/storms or by calling 888-448-7337.
5-7 Protecting and Enhancing Watersheds Workshop. Portland, ME. To register call 603-868-7603.
20 Community Mapping 2007 Workshop in Durham, NH. To register call 603.862.1029.
25-30 Arbormaster Level 1 Climbing, Level 1 Precision Felling, and Level 1 Rigging. Haddam, CT. FMI or to register contact ArborMaster at 860-429-5028 or info@arbormaster.com
10 Arborist Climbing and Rigging Seminar. Augusta Civic Center. FMI or to register contact Tom Hoerth at 443-8347
28-August 1 ISA 2007 Annual Conference and Trade Show. Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Conference Center, Honolulu, HI. FMI or to register visit ISA’s website at www.isa-arbor.com
If you would like to put your community’s activity on the calendar, please let one of the editors know by the 15th of each month.
This newsletter is made possible by a grant from the USDA Forest Service. The USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. To file a complaint call (202) 720-5964